A New Rival
by demon.lvr
Summary: Rikuo met Inuyasha at the hanyou village. Now they face a new threat. My first fanfic, constructive criticism only please. Rated T for violence. No pairings planned yet. Don't own characters, or places. I only claim the story idea and Toketsumaru who i made up. adopted by QudirlRider.
1. Unexpected visitors

**A NEW RIVAL**

**Chapter 1**

Rikuo watched the evening sun from his favourite perch in the sakura tree in his yard. While he was now able to take his yokai form at any time of day, he still found it easier to wait for nightfall. 'It's finally over.' He thought to himself. Rikuo had spent the past several months in what had seemed an endless loop of battling the yokai who wanted to rule over humans and lesser yokai alike, and and training with Itaku, who showed even less mercy in fights. In the end he had faced the leader of the evil yokai, Abe no Seimei, and destroyed him. Doing so had very nearly cost him his life. He remembered waking up in a unfamiliar village and being told that he was lucky to be alive. The one who had brought him there and saved his life, Hagoromo Gitsune, had stayed only long enough to explain the situation, as she still had a grudge against him.

His musings were interrupted by a blond yokai who's head floated above his body. "Rikuo-sama, there are some people here to see you." He called up. "I'll be right down Kubinashi" Rikuo answered. Carefully jumping down to avoid aggravating his still present injuries, Rikuo headed toward the front gate wondering who could be calling at such a time. After all, it was too late for most humans, but still too early for most demons. Turning the corner he felt his face break into a grin. " Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippo, what are you doing here?" Rikuo exclaimed.

"You forgot to bring your medicine with you when you left." Explained a young woman with black hair and brown eyes. "So we thought we'd bring it and maybe meet your friends, if were not a bother." "No, of course not" Rikuo said hurriedly "Come on in, and you might want to talk with Zen about the medicine, I don't know the first thing about it." Turning to the other two, a teenage, white-haired, dog demon and a small, orangey haired fox demon kid, he added "go ahead to the back, we'll see you there." The two boys watch Rikuo and Kagome leave, and then followed the sounds of commotion to the back yard.

'Get him , 'Come on', 'Go' A large group of low level yokai were gathered around a pair of arm wrestlers The older of the two, a cyclops demon, was clearly having trouble , he was scowling and, even as Inuyasha watched, his arm tilted, and was then slammed onto the fold-out table they had been using. " Ha, I win Hitotsume! Now pay up!" Yelled the victor, a very tall boy with red streaked, white hair. "I know Shoei, you don't have to rub it in." Hitotsume grumbled, handing the boy a handful of coins. "Anyone else?" Asked Shoei. "I'll take that challenge." said Inuyasha, stepping forward. Shoei smiled. "And you are?" "Inuyasha, I'm from the hanyou village" "And I'm Shippo" the little fox demon piped in. "Well I'm always happy to get new challenges." Shoei said cheerfully, holding his arm out. Inuyasha grinned as he took his place.

"Ready, " Shippo started, "Set, ...GO!" Both of them started immediately each trying to force the others arm down. Shoei realized that this opponent was different, this one was much stronger that anyone he had faced before. He knew that this time, there was every likelihood he was going to lose, and he loved it. He enjoyed the challenge that pushed him to his limit, straining to keep his arm off the table. Then as everyone watched, cracks appeared on the surface of the table, spreading out from the centre Neither Shoei nor Inuyasha noticed, they were both so intent on beating the other. Suddenly the table, which was by no means flimsy, shattered under the pressure of the two demons. For a moment, no one moved, then Shoei burst out laughing. "Wow, that was amazing, I haven't met anyone since dad who could push me like that!" Still grinning, he held his hand out. "The name's Shoei. Nice to meet you." Inuyasha smiled. "Likewise, I'm Inuyasha."

**-END OF CHAPTER ONE**


	2. Blood and booze

**Chapter 2**

"and the poppy-seed is for any pain,..." **CRASH! **Kagome's explanation was interrupted by a loud crash coming from outside. " What the heck!" Zen exclaimed as they raced outside to see if anyone needed help.

"What happened?" Rikuo asked, looking at the remains of the metal table. "It, um, fell apart?" Inuyasha suggested. "SIT!" Kagome told him. "What the heck was that for!?" "How many times do I have to tell you, not to break things that aren't yours!" " We didn't break it on purpose." Shoei interjected. "It cracked while we were arm wrestling, and collapsed. Sorry, sandaime." he added. "It's fine, why don't you show Inuyasha and Shippo around town? I think we'll be awhile." Rikuo suggested. "Sure. Come on, I'll show you the best places." Shoei said, leading them toward the gate.

The three of them were walking down toward 1st street, when Inuyasha froze. "What's wrong?" Shoei asked. "I smell blood, and it's fresh. "Inuyasha answered, and took off running, the others hot on his heels. Turning into a small park, they saw a large coyote demon cornering a pair of elementary students, a boy and a girl. They didn't seem injured, and looking around, Inuyasha saw the source of the blood scent. An adult, probably the kids dad, was lying unconscious, his chest badly clawed. Before he could jump in, he heard Shoei say, "Get back, I've got him." It only took a single slash to dispatch the coyote demon.

"Are you alright?" Shippo asked worriedly. Instead of answering, the kids rushed past to their dad. "Wake up dad, please!" they begged. "He's not dead" Shoei told them. "The cuts aren't deep, it must've been the impact that knocked him out." Inuyasha helped Shoei carry the man towards a nearby hospital while Shippo kept an eye on the kids.

"What's your guys names?" Shippo asked, trying to distract the children from what had happened. "My name's Sorin and my sister's Shira." the boy answered quietly. "What was that thing?" "It was just a big dog."Shippo said, not wanting to scare them. Whatever the boy might have said in reply was interrupted as they reached the emergency room.

"I don't like this." Shoei said, as they headed back toward the main house. "Coyote demons hunt in packs, why was it alone?" After dropping the humans off at the hospital, and reporting the culprit as a large feral dog, they had gone back and searched the park, but had found no trace of any other demons. "Maybe it became separated from its pack as they passed through." Shippo suggested optimistically. "I hope that's all it is." Shoei said as he went to give Rikuo the news.

"And there was only one?" Rikuo asked. Shoei nodded. "It's weird though, I've never known them to travel alone." Rikuo sighed. "Well, at least the humans are okay. I'll have the others keep an eye out for any more, but other than that there's not much we can do. I don't think there's anything to worry about."

The very next night, the Nura household was in chaos. But it was the good kind of chaos. The many lesser yokai of the clan had found the perfect reason to throw a party, because tonight was Shippo's 13th birthday. Although born in feudal Japan, Shippo had come to the modern-day through the bone-eaters well, and as such, he was still very young. They had discovered by accident that Shippo could come across in Kagome's bag, when he had fallen asleep inside it.

Night Rikuo smiled as he watched Kagome quietly carry a sleeping Shippo from the room. The little fox had nodded off some time ago, clearly overwhelmed by all the excitement No one noticed them go, they were all too intent on the party. Glancing over at the far corner of the room, he noticed Kurotabou engaged in a drinking contest with a young girl with orange hair and some sort of swirled tattoo on her shoulder. Shoei was likewise engaged in a similar contest with Inuyasha,but both of them were already so drunk it was taking them several tries to find their mouths with their sake bottles. He grinned as he noticed Kejoro videotaping the various antics of her clan mates, the mischievous smile on her face a sure sign of impending blackmail.

Rikuo was impressed to say the least, in the time since he had started watching the orange haired girl who, if he remembered correctly, was a young dragon demon named Nami. She had not only bested Kuromaru in their drinking contest, but had also won against Kubinashi and Gozumaru, and to top it off was still holding her own against Aotabou, one of the clans biggest drinkers. Finally, after what seemed like an endless series of victories, Nami's head drooped onto the table and she fell deeply asleep.

Rikuo sighed contentedly, he had just finished laying the last of the spare blankets over his many intoxicated friends, and was ready for a well deserved rest. Tipsy as he was, he never noticed the glow of canine eyes as they watched, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Long had it waited for this, and above all else, it was patient.

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*I had to add Nami from One Piece, she's a dragon demon because she loves treasure of course!


	3. A new enemy, a new ally

**Sorry for the late update. I plan to add a new chapter every week from now on. I have had writers block, so ideas are very welcome. I promise not to abandon my story.**

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'Never again.' Thought Gozumaru as he followed his brother, Mezumaru, home to . His head was pounding, and he felt awful. "Shut up, shut up or I am going to kill you." Mezumaru stopped singing for a moment and looked back. "Why?" 'Because the noise you're making isn't helping my hangover one bit." Gozumaru growled. "And besides, that stupid tune is getting stuck in my..." He trailed off, realizing Mezumaru wasn't paying attention anymore, instead he was staring at something behind them. "Um, Gozu, you might want to turn around." Gozumaru turned, as and came face to face with a large grey coyote demon. Beside it was a human.

The human looked about 25 and she had black hair streaked through with navy blue, which she wore in a ponytail. She had hazel eyes and her clothes were all black, with an image of a stylized wild dog on the top right corner of her shirt.

"Who are you? What are you doing on Gyuki clan territory?" Gozumaru demanded, drawing his sword. Beside him, Mezumaru raised his fists, eager for a fight. The woman looked at them calmly. "Tell your superiors that we're back" she said, tossing him a small, metal version of the dog displayed on her shirt. Catching it, Gozumaru realized it must be a crest of some sort. "They will know what it means." And with that, she turned to leave. They let her go, somehow knowing they wouldn't stand a chance against her.

"Gyuki-sama, what does it mean, why was that woman here?" Gozumaru demanded. They had gone straight to the main house, knowing that was where they would find their leader. Gyuki didn't answer right away, taking a sip of his tea instead. Finally, he answered, "Do you remember, the time two hundred years ago, when I went with Hihi to find out the cause of a rash of murders by our southwestern border?" "Of course, you two disappeared for a month!" Gozumaru answered. "Well the ones responsible were a pack of coyote demons, who were serving a group of humans with powers of exorcism."

"You mean they were onmyoji?" Mezumaru asked. "No, Mezumaru, they were not exorcists. They were not dedicated to protecting humankind from yokai, but to amassing power for their organization. I thought Hihi and I had destroyed them, but it seems I was mistaken."

Meanwhile,  
"Nura Rikuo." The boy stared at a group of kids his age. One of them, the dark-haired boy with glasses, was his target. He was finally going to be accepted into the organization, all he had to do was kill this human and everything he'd worked for would be real. Looking at the piece of pipe he held, he focused. Quickly, ice formed around the metal, until he was holding a frozen wakazashi. He jumped down from his perch in a tree, but before he could act, he found himself confronted by one of the girls from the group. She had long, black and blue hair and, different from what she'd been wearing a moment before,she wore a white *furisode. "What do you think you're doing. Do you plan on attacking Rikuo-sama?" She asked coldly. Frustrated that the group was now out of sight, he swung the ice-sword, intending to knock her aside with the flat of the blade. Jumping back, the girl extended her hands, and to his surprise, an ice halberd appeared between them, which she grabbed and held in a ready position.

The boy just stared at her. Then, in a soft voice, he said, "You're a Yuki Onna, aren't you." "Yes." Tsurara answered cautiously, he was no longer holding his weapon to fight, but he could still be dangerous. "Who are you, and why are you after Rikuo-sama?" Toketsumaru, as he was known, knew he shouldn't tell her, that he would be punished if he did, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. So he told her everything. How he had tried to become part of the Beowulf organization, to avoid the streets. How he'd been told that the only way he could join was if he proved himself. Even how he'd been given a mission to eliminate the dark haired human.

Tsurara thought for a long time, and finally decided he was telling the truth. "Come with me." She said, and he followed her down the street until they came to a large, mansion-like house. She led him inside, and stopped at a door. "Wait here." She said, going inside. Toketsumaru noticed she was once again in human form, her eyes were no longer gold, and her clothes were once again normal.

"Rikuo-kun can I talk to you outside for a sec?" Rikuo quickly excused himself, and followed his friend to the hall. "What is it?" Rikuo asked, noticing the strange boy standing nervously off to the side. Tsurara turned to the boy and said, "Go on, tell him what you told me." Toketsumaru immediately launched into a quick narrative of the events that had brought him there. When he finished, he glanced at Tsurara hopefully, but she was looking at Rikuo, waiting to see how he would react.

Rikuo thought for a moment, then he said "Right, why don't you join the Nura clan then?" Tsurara and Toketsumaru stared at him in shock. "I mean, it sounds like you just wanted a place to belong, to feel safe, so why not become part of our family?"

"What do you mean, 'join the clan' Sandaime!" Aotabou and Kurotabou cried as they came around the corner, getting in each others way, and tripping. "So, how long have you two been accidentally overhearing us?" Rikuo asked conversationally. "Anyway," Rikuo continued, as Ao and Kuro hung their heads in embarrassment. "why not? It's not like we can't take him in, at least for a while."

* a furisode is a kind of kimono with long sleeves, that ranged in length from 85 cm to 114 cm.


	4. Decisions

**Sorry for the late update, I'm having a hard time keeping my inspiration. The same reason it's such a short chapter. I need ideas! Please help!**

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Chapter 4

Kagome sighed. She had volenteered to take Toketsumaru back with them to the hanyou village, until things could be sorted out. Unfortunately, Inuyasha had intimidated him, and the boy had run away and hidden. Feeling a faint yokai aura, Kagome entered a nearby room. It seemed empty, and she was about to leave, when she heard, "Are you alone?"

Kagome turned around. "Yes, everyone's looking for you. We were worried." Toketsumaru slowly climbed down from his hiding place above the ceiling. Some of the panels were loose, so it was easy to get to. "Are they really looking for me?" He asked. "No one ever cared about me before, so..." He trailed off looking embarrassed. "Of course, they care!" Kagome exclaimed, wrapping him up in a hug, which he hesitantly returned. "Now come on, we need to get ready to go."

Rikuo sat calmly at the head of the room. He needed to discuss all that had happened with the leaders of the various clans, that were allied with his own Nura clan. Luckily, the annual meeting was today anyway, so he wouldn't have to send out notices. Looking around, he spotted Aotabou, and Kurotabou. Rikuo smiled as he remembered the look on their faces when, not so long ago, they had been promoted, and even gotten their own clans.

"Thank you all for coming, before we begin, does anyone have any news they wish to share?" Rikuo asked. Gyuki nodded, "I have grave news. The Beowulf organization is back, and I think they are highly likely to come seeking revenge. After all, we were the ones who nearly destroyed them all those years ago." "In that case, won't they target Rikuo, since he's the head of the clan?" Zen asked. "They already have." Rikuo stated calmly.

Everyone stared at Rikuo, they Zen spoke up, "Why didn't you mention this earlier, idiot!" he growled. "Because I don't think it was a serious attempt. The kid didn't even know I was a yokai."Rikuo explained. "So what did you do?" Zen asked suspiciously.  
"And it had better not be what I think." Rikuo grinned, "I invited him into the Nura clan" he said. "I thought as much." Zen groaned, facepalming.

The room erupted into arguments. "That's enough!" Rikuo bellowed. Everyone fell silent, looking at him expectantly. "Thank you. Now, I asked him to join for two reasons. One, he might be able to tell us more about this Beowulf organization. And two, he's just a confused kid, who was looking for a place to belong. He's not an enemy." Rikuo said firmly.

30 minutes later

"Finally." Rikuo muttered, as they left the meeting room. It had taken 30 minutes of arguing, just for them to agree to wait and see if Toketsumaru could be trusted. Hitotsume hadn't helped the situation, instead choosing to nitpick every point Rikuo made. And as if that wasn't enough, Gyuki had pointed out that,because of his father's involvement in Beowulf's near annihilation, Shoei might be one of their prime targets. Shoei was confident that he'd be able to take down anyone they sent after him, but Rikuo couldn't be sure.

Rikuo walked outside to bask in the moonlight as dawn approached. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to feel the breeze. "Smells like a party in there." He opened his eyes and looked up into the nearby tree. Inuyasha looked down from his perch and said, "How are things going in there, do you know what you're going to do with the boy?" Rikuo hesitated before speaking. "He is going to stay here at the Nura mansion until we find out what the enemies objectives are."

Inuyasha jumped down from the tree. "Sounds like a plan, but what will happen to the brat when you do find out that stuff. Rikuo sighed heavily. "I just don't know. I'd like to have him in the clan, but it'll also depend on what he wants to do, I suppose." Just then, Kagome returned leading a wary Toketsumaru. "Oi brat, where the hell'd you run off to?" Inuyasha growled. "Sit boy." Kagome said, as she tried to get Toketsumaru to stop hiding behind her.

Toketsumaru signed happily as he looked around his new room. It was small and barely furnished, with just a bed and small desk, but it was warm and cozy. He felt safe, something he hasn't truly felt since he'd started living on the streets. Maybe he really could live here, if they accepted him, of course.


	5. Threats Under Way

**This chapter is the combined work of myself ( ) and QudirlRider. Now adopted by QudirlRider.**

**I do not own any of the characters besides Toketsumaru who is of my own making.**

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**Chapter 5**

"YEEOOWCH!"

A terrifyingly painful scream bellowed out of the room at the southeastern end of the Nura household. Inside, Inuyasha was rubbing his behind as though it just taken a stabbing. Hiding behind Kagome at the other end of the room, a frost demon child was holding a metal pipe. The pipe was wrapped with frost, and had taken the shape of a wakizashi.

"Come here you brat!" Inuyasha shouted as he chased the poor kid around the room, ignoring Kagome's protests. Inuyasha caught him by the back of the shirt, as Rikuo burst into the room. "I heard a scream, what the heck happened?" Rikuo asked. "Why don't you ask him?" Inuyasha suggested, shaking Toketsumaru by the collar. "Sorry, Rikuo-sama, but he keeps picking on me. I thought if I showed him how strong I am, he'd leave me alone." Inuyasha snorted. "You? Strong? I'll bet you couldn't even beat Shippo!"

Kagome stepped forward. "Put him down already Inuyasha." "Make me." Inuyasha retorted. Then he froze, as he realized what he'd said. "Inuyasha." Kagome growled. "Sit boy!" BANG! Inuyasha hit the floor hard, having been off balance trying to keep ahold of Toketsumaru, who slipped out of his grip to stand by Rikuo. "Whoops."Kagome crouched down beside an unconscious Inuyasha. "Ouch, he's gonna feel that when he wakes up." Kagome was right, there was already a nasty lump forming on Inuyasha's head. Rikuo just sighed, and was about to go back to the yard, when something came at him from behind.

"Look out!" Toketsumaru yelled, as he slammed into the boy, yelping as a blade bit into his shoulder. Rolling back to their feet, they turned to see Kagome placing herself between them, bow already drawn. The assailant seemed to be some kind of reptile yokai. He was covered by green-brown scales, and wearing a tattered black T-shirt and jeans. His yellow eyes were narrowed in anger, and he carried a pair of curved daggers, the blade of the right one now stained with fresh blood.

"You, traitorousss brat." The yokai hissed. "You sshall die, for sssaving the halfbreed. I sshall ssseee to it." Then it spun around and, quicker than Kagome could shoot, darted out of the grounds.

"Now they know." Toketsumaru murmured, staring after it. Blearily, he realized someone was talking to him. "Wha," Toketsumaru asked, turning to the other two. "I said, are you okay?" Rikuo repeated, looking at him worriedly. "You're bleeding." "I am?" Toketsumaru looked where Rikuo was pointing. "Whoa, you're right. It's weird, though, I can't really feel it."

"That's because you're full of adrenaline. When it wears off, you'll definitely be feeling it a lot more." Kagome explained, as she grabbed her med bag. "Come here." Toketsumaru obeyed, and sat still as she cleaned and bandaged his injury. "Hey, thanks for the save." Rikuo commented, as he sat down beside them. "I can't believe I let him sneak up on me like that." Toketsumaru shrugged, then cursed as his shoulder throbbed in response. "No problem, and that guy is the best I've seen at going unnoticed." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "By the way, what did he mean, calling you a halfbreed? You're a demon, aren't you?"

Rikuo actually laughed at that. "Actually, i'm only about one quarter demon. My dad was a hanyou, and my mom is a human." That caught Toketsumaru's attention. "What do you mean, your dad 'was' a hanyou?" Rikuo's smile faltered for a moment, making Toketsumaru wish he'd kept his mouth shut. "He's not around anymore, died when I was five." Seeing their expressions, he added, "it's fine, it was a long time ago."

A few minutes later, Rikuo left to get ready for school, and Kagome went to get an icepack for Inuyasha. Having been waiting for this moment, Toketsumaru looked around cautiously, before pulling out a sharpie with a gleeful expression. Just as he was about to start drawing on the unfortunate hanyou, he glanced up and found Shippo staring at him. Toketsumaru didn't move as Shippo came towards him, knowing he couldn't hide what he had been about to do. So he was very surprised when, instead of getting mad, Shippo pulled out his own sharpie. Both of them grinned. "This," they thought "was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

Kagome sighed. She should have known better than to leave her unconscious husband by himself. His face was covered with spirals, doodles, and the word 'BAKA' across his forehead. It was all done in permanent marker too. She knew it was Shippo's doing, but considering Toketsumaru was nowhere to be found either, it was probably a joint effort. 'Oh well, I guess I'll just tell him when he wakes up.' She thought, settling down with a book. After all, there was no way she was going to leave him at the mercy of the vindictive pranksters.

"You're going, already?" Shippo asked him. Shoei smiled at the young kitsune. "Yup. Everyone's on edge with this Beowulf group trying to move in, so I'm leaving before Karasu tengu gets paranoid, and pegs all the heads with bodyguards again. Besides, I also have to make sure my clan is fully prepared for this." Shippo looked down, sad that his new friend would be leaving so soon. "Are you going to come back?" He asked. Shoei crouched down, trying to get their eyes on the same level. "You bet I will, once things get cleared up around here I'll be coming back. Then we can go and play tricks on Inuyasha." They both smiled at the thought. Although grinning evily would be a better term for it. "Alright." Shippo said. "but please be careful." Shoei stood up again and brushed off his pants. "Don't worry, I will. See ya next time Shippo." With a wave to each other the large youkai walked out under the gateway and disappeared.

Toketsumaru soon settled in to life with the Nura clan. During the day, he helped out with various chores, and helped bring everyone food at mealtimes. He still saw Rikuo around the house, but they didn't really have many conversations. He found himself hanging around with natto kozo, and the other small yokai, most of the time. Still, he couldn't bring himself to completely relax, he knew the Beowulf group would soon make its move.

Then, three weeks after he had arrived, Nurarihyon rikuo's grandfather, suggested to Rikuo that Toketsumaru attend school with him. Toketsumaru was shocked when they told him. He had never actually gone to school before, he had taught himself to read and write over the past several years of his life.

They decided to enroll him in Tsurara and Aotabou's class, as Aotabou's younger brother.(Ao is known as Kurata at school.) Toketsumaru and Aotabou's human guise both had dark brown hair and eyes, so they looked very similar, although there was a significant height difference. They both seemed to like the idea, and Toketsumaru immediately started calling Aotabou 'aniki' meaning big brother.

Toketsumaru found it hard to get to sleep that night, because in the morning, for the first time, he was going to school. He could hardly wait!


End file.
